Mountain View Voice

Crime briefs

Police said a Mountain View woman apparently was crossing the street at about 6:30 p.m. on March 4 when she was struck by a northbound car in the 1200 block of Phyllis Avenue near the intersection with Hans Avenue. She suffered major injuries and was taken to Stanford Hospital, where she later died, according to police spokeswoman Jaime Garrett.

The victim was identified as 59-year-old Ruifen Ma of Mountain View by the Santa Clara County coroner's office on Tuesday morning.

The Mountain View woman driving the car, a blue Nissan Maxima, stayed on the scene and cooperated with police, Garrett said in a press release. Police do not suspect alcohol use or excessive speed to have played a role in the accident, she said.

"In recent months, the Mountain View Police Department has been working to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety and has conducted several decoy operations targeting vehicles that do not yield to pedestrians at intersections and in crosswalks," Garrett said in the statement. "California law requires drivers to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk."

Witnesses to the collision are asked to call police investigators at (650) 903-6344.

—Andrea Gemmet

Cops arrest knife-wielding teen

A student of Terra Bella Academy was arrested and booked into juvenile hall after slashing a fellow student with a knife just down the street from the school for troubled youth, according to a police spokeswoman. The victim was not badly hurt and declined medical attention.

The incident, which took place March 4 at 2 p.m. in the 1000 block of Linda Vista Avenue, appears to have escalated while the attacker and the victim — both of whom are from Sunnyvale — were arguing over money, according to Mountain View Police Department spokeswoman Jaime Garrett. The attacker believed the victim owed him money, the police report said. When the victim did not hand over the money, the attacker allegedly tried to take an article or multiple articles of the victim's clothing and his cell phone.

The victim resisted and the attacker pulled out a knife, Garrett said. The attacker used his knife to cause an abrasion on the victim's skin.

Police ultimately arrested the teen with the knife for assault with a deadly weapon and booked him into juvenile hall, Garrett said.

Mugger takes bag

A man was robbed of his laptop bag a little after 3 p.m. on March 4 at Bailey Plaza, a police spokeswoman said.

The 67-year-old San Francisco man was walking through the shopping center when a man approached him, snatched his laptop bag out of his arms and ran, according to Jaime Garrett, a spokeswoman with the Mountain View Police Department.

Fortunately for the victim, the bag was empty, and when police searched the area, they found the bag a short distance away, Garrett said. It would seem that the robber ditched the bag after he discovered there was no laptop inside. Nothing was missing from the bag.

Police searched the area but did not find anyone matching the suspect's description.

Shoplifter with knife

A shoplifter waved a knife at a security guard outside of Kohl's after the loss prevention agent tried to stop the man from making off with two shirts and a pair of jeans on Feb. 27, according to a police spokeswoman.

The shoplifter allegedly concealed the items and exited the store without paying, said Jaime Garrett, a spokeswoman for the Mountain View Police Department. When a Kohl's loss prevention agent approached the man, the shoplifter pulled out a knife and said, "I'll stab you." He then fled on foot.

The shoplifter was described as a Hispanic man in his mid 20s, of medium to heavy build, 5 feet 11 inches tall, with a thin mustache and wearing a dark T-shirt, white baseball hat and gray shoes.